Week one in Norwich

Today was amazing. I signed up for tennis and soccer, went to Poetry in the Dark Times: Rilke, Holderlin, Celan. It's a seminar, so there's only about 15 of us and we sit in a circle. So far both of my classes are like that (Poetry Writing is the second). Tomorrow I have my Gender and Development "module" which has an hour lecture, then a two hour video viewing on Friday. Tomorrow after lecture I have some time off for me, then a mixed doubles game of tennis with my flatmate and a couple we met at a club last night.

But soccer practice. That was after my dark times class, and I thought I would be late, because my class was set to end at 5, which is when practice started. But class ended an hour early and arrived at practice early. So I sat in the middle of an enormous field (see photo) and watched the sky. It was so beautiful. There is a lot of sky here. And the clouds moved and there were a whole bunch of swallows, and it was the first time since I arrived that I had a solitary, motionless moment outside. It was so beautiful. And then I went to practice and all the girls were really nice. I found out that they play competitively, traveling to all the schools, you know, in England (in their division). Ridiculous. I had no idea. None of this info was available on UEA's website. It was just practice, they practice twice a week (Tues, Fri) and compete with other schools on Wednesdays, and local women's teams on Sundays (recreationally). 4 days a week. All of which fit into my schedule. So then our coach arrived, and he's a student here, and he made us run. And run, and run. And then run some more. Apparently he's really into fitness. I have never ran so much in my life. Or if I can it was 3+ years ago and I forgot what it felt like. But it hurt. And then it felt really good. After running for a couple hours, we kicked the ball around. And I have never played with such skilled girls before. And then we took some shots and all mine went in. I just hope my quadricep will hold up. So far so good. I am really excited about the potential for this team. When I was running, I was thinking "I don't even know if I want to push myself this hard. Is it even worth it?" And I have decided, yes, it's worth it. I want to be in the best shape of my life. I want to travel with these girls around England. So, I'm going to keep pushing myself. It is so nice to finally have something I want to work really hard for. I haven't had that....ever? I feel the same way about my classes.

In class today, I realized I have never taken a European History class. Ever. And I don't know anything, and I feel like an idiot. I wish I had read European history over the summer. But I didn't. But I still can. After practice I was so exhausted (I haven't felt rested since I arrived) that I just wanted to cry. And I did. But I'm really happy and excited about the future. I successfully cooked myself another meal. I showered. I met some really cool people today. Things are going to be really good.